How Kate Middleton, Prince William and their kids will celebrate Christmas
Britain's royal family is expected to join together for their tradition of Christmas at Sandringham following a tumultuous year that saw both King Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales, diagnosed with cancer.
Charles, whose cancer diagnosis was announced in February, will lead the family's celebration, which this year is expected to include some new faces and the absence of some familiar faces.
Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will celebrate alongside Camilla's son Tom Parker-Bowles, who told The Telegraph he plans to join the royal family's Christmas celebration this year for the first time.
It is not known whether Camilla's daughter, Laura Lopes and her family, including her husband and three children, will join the royals at Sandringham, the king's estate in Norfolk, England.
Kate and her husband Prince William and their three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, will be at Sandringham, as is tradition for the family, who live just minutes away from Sandringham in their full-time residence, Anmer Hall.
Kate announced in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Like Charles, Kate has not disclosed what type of cancer she was diagnosed with, nor exact details of her treatment beyond that she underwent chemotherapy.
After staying out of the public eye for much of the past year, Kate has begun making a gradual return to public duties since announcing in September that she had completed chemotherapy.
Earlier this month, the 42-year-old princess hosted one of her most cherished annual events, a Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.
In a recorder voiceover for the television broadcast of the service, Kate described Christmas as a "favorite" time of year.
"The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others," she said. "It also reflects our own vulnerabilities and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, as well as just how much we need each other in spite of our differences."
Kate is expected to join Charles, Camilla and William as well as George, Louis and Charlotte and other members of the royal family in walking to church at Sandringham on Christmas morning. Kate's walk to church last year marked the last time she was seen publicly before announcing her cancer diagnosis in March.
Absent from this year's royal Christmas festivities will be Charles's brother, Prince Andrew, his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who all joined royal family members at Sandringham last year.
Andrew is no longer a working royal but has celebrated Christmas at Sandringham since losing his military titles and royal patronages in 2022.
His absence from this year's celebration comes as a Chinese businessman to whom Andrew allegedly had links has been banned from the United Kingdom amid national security concerns, according to The Associated Press. Andrew has said he only met the man through official channels and never discussed any sensitive topics with him.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the case or his alleged connection to Andrew.
Other royal family members not attending this year's Christmas at Sandringham are Charles's youngest son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. The Sussexes, who now live in California, have not spent Christmas with the royal family since stepping away from their senior royal roles in 2020.
The last time Harry was seen publicly with his royal family members was Charles and Camilla's coronation in 2023.
How Britain's royal family celebrates Christmas
This Christmas marks the royal family's second together since the coronation of Charles and Camilla, and their third Christmas without Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96.
With the queen's passing, Charles, her eldest child, became king and now leads the royal family in their multiday Christmas celebration at Sandringham.
Members of the royal family traditionally hold their gift exchange on Christmas Eve, following the German tradition, where they often swap funny or homemade gifts.
On Christmas Day, after attending church, the family enjoys lunch at Sandringham before watching the king deliver his annual, televised Christmas message.
In the evening, the family members gather again for a Christmas buffet dinner.
On the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in the U.K., the royals traditionally partake in a pheasant shoot on the grounds of Sandringham.
In addition to Charles and Camilla and William and Kate and their children, other royal family members who celebrate Christmas at Sandringham include Charles's sister, Princess Anne, and youngest brother Prince Edward, and their spouses, children and in the case of Anne, grandchildren.
